Container cover fastener



Feb. 11,, J MlLLER CONTAINER COVER FASTENER Filed Jul 16, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 1 l IHJHH LI HUI! U Feh H, 1936.

J. J. MILLER CONTAINER COVER FASTENER Filed July 16, 1934 zmms 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATE ATENT OFFICE 21Claims.

This invention relates to wire fasteners for boxes or crates, and moreparticularly to fasteners for closing wirebound boxes or crates, byusing the ends of the binding wires to form fas- 5 teners that permitthe box or crate tobe easily opened.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedconstruction and arrangement whereby fasteners of this character aremore easily and inexpensively manufactured on the blanks from which theboxes and crates are made, and whereby fasteners of this kind will alsobe more effective and satisfactory in use.

Another object is to provide a novel construction and arrangementwhereby, in order to protect the hands of workers or other personsagainst injury, it is not necessary to insert the sharp ends of thewires in the material of the box or crate.

Another object is to provide a novel formation 2 whereby smaller andsofter wire may be used as effectively as fasteners of this kindpreviously made from heavier and harder wire.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features ofconstruction and combinations tending to increase the general efiiciencyand the desirability of wirebound box or crate fasteners of thisparticular character.

It is also an object to obviate the necessity of using certain thingsheretofore considered necessary on wirebound box cover fasteners of thisgeneral character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists inmatters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a box or crate blank havingbinding wires formed at their ends with fasteners embodying theprinciples of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective, on a larger scale, of the finished box orcrate, showing the fasteners interlocked and bent to hold the box orcrate in closed condition.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one corner portion of thecover of the box or crate.

Fig. .4 is a similar view of one corner portion of the upright wall ofthe box or crate.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the box or crate, on the same scale asFigs. 3 and 4, with certain portions thereof shown broken away forconvenience of illustration.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, on the same scale as Figs. 3, 4and 5, showing the fas teners for the ends of the middle wire of the boxor crate.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the parts shown in Fig. 5,but showing the cover closed and the fasteners in interlocked relation.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the cover in fullyclosed position, on a smaller scale.

As thus illustrated, the box or crate may be of any suitable, known orapproved form, the one shown having veneer strips I fastened at theirends to cleats 2 by staples 3 that straddle the binding wires 4, theblank thus formed being bent in the usual well known manner around theheads or end walls 5 to form the finished box or crate. There is also amiddle binding wire 6 stapled to the strips l by staples 1, but thelatter are clinched on the inner surface of the box, while the staples 3do not entirely pass through the cleats.

One end of each binding wire isprovided with a loop 8, preferably on theupper wall or cover of the box, formed by bending the end portion of thewire back and under the cleat 2, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5,this end portion of the wire being laid tightly against the beveled endsurface 9 of the cleat, and against the lower edge I 0 of the cleat, andheld in place by a staple H, as shown. The loop 8 thus formed ispreferably substantially round and relatively short.

On the adjacent vertical wall or front side of the box, each bindingwire is provided with a narrow or tonguelike loop 1 2, by bending theends of the wires back and fastening them by staples 13 to the inneredges of the vertical cleats.

Of course, as shown in Fig. 6, the ends of the middle binding wire arefastened to the inner surface of the veneer, by staples I l that aredriven outwardly and clinched over the binding wire 6, and by staples l5that are driven outwardly through the vertical wall of the box or crateand clincehd over the same binding wire.

In closing the box or crate, such as an ordinary berry or fruit crate,the upstanding tongue l2, as shown in Fig. 5, is in position to passthrough the loop 8 when the cover is folded down. Then the tongue I2 isbent down in the manner shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, and if this is donetightly, the loop 8 will also bend down. a distance. When this is done,the cover is tightly held in closed position, but inasmuch as thetongues I2 are flexible, the box can be opened, for inspecf tion of thecontents thereof, by simply bending the tongues into their original orvertical positions, and by then raising the cover.

Inasmuch as the end portions of the wire are anchored to the bottoms ofthe cleats, those at the ends of the box 01' crate, while the ends ofthe middle wire are anchored to the inner surface of the box, it followsthat the sharp ends of the binding wires are out of the way and are notliable to injure the hands of those who handle crates or boxes of thiskind. In this way, it is not necessary to insert the ends of the wire inthe veneer, in order to protect the hands of those who handle boxes andcrates of this kind.

Also, with the construction shown and described, whereby the ends of thewires are anchored in the manner shown and described, it is found thatsomewhat smaller and softer wire can be employed, with just as muchsecurity as was formerly obtained with other fasteners made of heavierand harder wire.

In the construction shown and described, the end portions of the bindingwires are on the under or inner sides of the cover and side wall,

not only those of the middle wire, but also those of the end wires,inasmuch as the bottom or inner edges of the cleats form a part of theinner surface of the cover and side wall, notwithstanding that theseedges of the cleats do form a part of the exterior surface of the box orcrate, for the reason that the heads or end walls 5 are fastened to theinner sides of the cleats, leaving the outer sides of the cleats andtheir inner edges exposed on the exterior of the box or crate. In thisway, therefore, the end portions of the end wires of the box or crateare fastened to the under side of the cover, and to the inner side ofthe front side wall of the box or crate, and the same is true of theends of the middle binding wire. And, while the ends of the middle wireare concealed within the box, and the ends of the wires for the ends ofthe box or crate are exposed on the exterior of the box or crate, theresult is that all of the sharp ends of the wires are so disposed thatthey cannot injure the hands of those who handle the boxes or crates.

Therefore, the invention tends to reduce the cost of production of boxor crate blanks of this kind, while insuring against injury to the handsof the workers who handle boxes and crates of this kind, and at the sametime providing a form of fastener that permits the box or crate to beeasily opened.

While the wire fastener shown and described is shown in use on awirebound berry or fruit crate, it will be understood that fastenerscomprising a loop and a tongue, having their legs firmly anchored to thecover and side wall of a container, may be employed on containers ofvarious kinds, without departing from the spirit of the invention, whichlatter is not limited to use on any particular container or receptacle.

While the structure shown is illustrative of the invention, it isobvious that wire loops of this character can be formed and fastened inplace in various ways, obviating the necessity of inserting any wireends in the materials of the container, and that the loops can beconnected together in various ways, or by suitable expedients, dependingupon the type of container, without departing from the spirit of theinvention, which is that the wire ends are secured in place within thecross-sectional profile of the box or crate, or other container, wherethey cannot be encountered by the hands of workers, in a manner thatobviates the necessity of inserting any wire ends through or into thematerials of the container.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a wirebound box or crate, inter-engaging loops formed on theopposite ends of one or more of the binding wires, on the cover and theside wall of the box, and means for anchoring the end portions of thewire on the under side of the cover and the inner side of the wall bymeans obviating the necessity of inserting the ends of the binding wiresin the material of the box or crate, to prevent the ends of the wirefrom injuring the hands of those who handle the box or crate.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, the end portions of the wire forthe cover being stapled to the under sides of the cleats of the latter,and to the inner edges of the cleats of the wall.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, the end portions of the wire forthe cover being stapled to the under sides of the cleats of the latter,and to the inner edges of the cleats of the wall, and the end portionsof the middle wire for the box or crate being stapled to the under sideof the cover.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, said means for fastening the endportions of the wire 1 in place comprising staples driven outwardly andclinched over the binding wires on the exterior of the box or crate.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, the end portions of the wiresfor the ends of the box or {T crate being outside of the heads or endwalls of the latter.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, the loops for the cover beingrelatively short and substantially round, while the upstanding loops forthe side wall are longer and narrower and form tongues which can beinserted upwardly through the loops and then bent down to hold the coverclosed.

'7. In combination with a container having a cover, fastening means foraccessibly holding the cover in closed position, comprising a wire loopfastened by one leg thereof to the top of the cover, and fastened by theother leg to the under side of the cover, together with a wire loopforming a tongue fastened by one leg thereof to the outer surface of aside wall of the container, and fastened by its other leg to the innerside of said wall, said tongue being adapted to be inserted upwardlythrough said loop on the cover, and then bent downwardly against thecontainer.

8. A structure as specified in claim '7, comprising both inwardly andoutwardly inserted staples forming the means for holding the legs of theloop and the legs of the tongue firmly anchored to the cover and sidewall of the container.

9. In a container cover fastener, a wire loop having one side portionthereof fastened to the top of the cover, in a manner to preventexposure of the extreme end thereof on the exterior of the container,and having the other side portion thereof fastened to the under side ofthe cover, and flexible means on the adjacent wall of the container forinsertion through said loop, adapted to be bent down to form a hookinterengaging with the loop, to hold the cover in place.

10. A structure as specified in claim 9, the said side portions of theloop being stapled in place by staples in a manner to prevent dangerousexposure of any sharp ends and thereby obviate for that purpose thenecessity of inserting any wire ends in the materials of the container.

11. In a container cover fastener, a wire loop having one side portionsecured to the outer surface of the side wall of the container, in amanner to prevent exposure of the extreme end thereof on the exterior ofthe container, and having its other side portion secured to the innersurface of said wall, forming a flexible tongue, adapt ed to be bentdown to form a hook, and means forming a loop on the cover to receiveand engage said tongue.

12. A structure as specified in claim 11, the said side portions of theloop being stapled in place by staples in a manner to prevent dangerousexposure of any sharp ends and thereby obviate for that purpose thenecessity of inserting any wire ends in the materials of the container.

13. In a wirebound box or crate, cover fastener means comprising loopsformed on the ends of the binding wires, by stapling the extreme ends ofthe wires within the outer cross-sectional profile of the box or crate,forming interengaging loops on the opposite ends of each wire, in amanner to prevent dangerous exposure of any ends and thereby obviate forthat purpose the necessity of inserting any wire ends through thematerials of the box or crate, providing a plurality of cover fastenerseach including a pair of wire loops on the opposite ends of a bindingwire.

14. A structure as specified in claim 13, the wire end of one loop beingstapled to the under side of the cover, and the wire end of another loopbeing stapled to the inner surface of the adjacent side wall of the boxor crate.

15. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor extending over the coverof the box and around the edge thereof and back under the cover,fastened to the under side thereof, forming a loop at the edge of thecover, and means co-operating with said loop to fasten the cover inclosed position.

16. In a wirebound box, a binding Wire therefor extending over the coverof the box and around the edge thereof and under the end portion of theend cleat of the box, secured to the lower edge of said cleat, forming aloop at the edge of the cover, and means co-operating with said loop tofasten the cover in closed position.

17. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor extending upwardlyacross the outer surface of the front side wall of the box and over theupper edge of the latter and secured upon the inner surface of the sidewall, forming a loop at the upper edge of the side wall, and meansco-operating with said loop to fasten the cover of the box in closedposition.

18. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor extending upwardly onthe outer surface of the front side wall of the box and. over the upperedge of the latter, and downwardly against the end and inner edge of anend cleat of the box, fastened in place to said inner edge, forming aloop at the upper edge of the side wall, and means co-operating withsaid loop to fasten the cover of the box in closed position.

19. In a wirebound box, a binding wire therefor encircling the box andhaving its terminal ends disposed of within the cross-sectional contourof the box, within the planes of the inside surfaces of the cover andthe front wall of the box, to prevent injury to the hands, in a mannerto obviate the necessity of inserting said ends through any wall of thebox.

20. A wire cover fastener for a container, comprising a wire loop havingthe sharp end of one side portion of the loop anchored within theinterior of the container, so that access to said sharp end is precludedwhen the cover is held closed by the fastener, to prevent injury to thehands, in a manner to obviate the necessity of inserting said endthrough the cover of the container.

21. In a wirebound box, the binding wire therefor having an end portionfastened to the inner exposed edge of an end cleat of the box, forming aloop, and means co-operating with said loop to fasten the cover of thebox in closed position.

- JULIUS J. MILLER.

